Methods and devices for discovering multiple instances of recurring values within a vector with an application to sorting

Methods and devices for discovering multiple instances of recurring values within a vector are disclosed. A first method calculates the prior instances of the vector. A second method calculates the last unique instances of the vector. An implementation of these methods as SIMD instructions is proposed. Sequential and parallel CAM implementations are also disclosed. The proposed methods can be used to correct conflicting indexes in vector memory indexed operations. Furthermore, an application to a vectorized sorting algorithm is proposed.